


Oh Simple Thing

by Damalia (Achrya)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland Fusion, Implied Sexual Content, Language, M/M, Mental Instability, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 03:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5612128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Damalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Marco died he fell down a rabbit hole into a dark world full of familiar faces and the threat of inevitable madness. The end of the year, or The Night The World Dies, pushes him ever closer to losing himself to Wonderland.</p><p>A moment in a much larger story where Marco is very a reluctant Alice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh Simple Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place in a Wonderland-inspired story I'm working on that will eventually see the light of day, but is currently being worked on in private. (Unless you follow my tumblr in which case it's so very not private.)  
> Warnings: Creepy Jean, crossdressing, oddness. This is actually mild in comparison to the actual story. Armin and Jean are on their best behavior and Marco is more or less together. Things get trippy at the end though. Downright Lovecraftian.

The suns were setting, the larger one already far enough down in the sky to be tucked behind the Chess Piece mountains and the second smaller one well on it's way. The deep blues and purples of the sky were creeping in from the east to chase away the last of the pinks and oranges along the western horizon and when Marco tilted his head back to look up at Rabbit he could see the star maidens starting to sweep across the sky, the trails of stardust they left in their wake shining brightly.

They were on the edge of the Wild Flowers field, the air around them thick with the scent of flowers in bloom, waiting for darkness to fall before setting out to cross it. According to Rabbit it would take 2 or 3 nights because the nights were so short this time of year and traveling across the Wilds during the day was too dangerous.

The idea of something being too dangerous in a world where humans ate other humans, creatures straight from his worst nightmares roamed free, and just about everyone he encountered wanted to kill and eat him was laughable but Rabbit had held firm on the issue.

He supposed, as he looked out at grass that was taller than he was, mushrooms the size of houses, and flowers that seemed to be beckoning them closer with a soft song he could almost make out the words of, it was in his best interest to listen to someone who actually belong in this strange messed up place.

It helped that Rabbit looked like Armin; the small blond had been one of Marco's closest friends before he'd fallen down _died a titan had picked him up and squeezed and_ the rabbit hole so it was easy to trust the little hybrid who wore his face.

“Shouldn't be too much longer.” Rabbit announced as he hit the ground with a dull thud. He'd been up in one of the few trees that dotted the flat dry land they'd spent the last two days walking across, looking for some sort of sign that it was safe. “The roses are starting to fold up for the night and they're always the last to go to sleep.”

Marco turned to look at the hybrid, eyebrow rising. “We're waiting for flowers to 'go to sleep'?”

It was still jarring to look at Rabbit; he had the same pale skin, big blue eyes, bright golden hair, and small stature that Armin did but the similarities ended there. Rabbit had two long white ears growing from somewhere under his hair, each boasting a set of red heart shaped earrings, a short upturned nose and pale whiskers, a small red heart tattoo under his left eye, and hands tipped with sharp claws (good for digging, climbing, and ripping people's eyes to bloody shreds).

The thin metal collar and cuffs, each fixed with a small heart shaped lock and short lengths of chain that dangled freely, marked him as the property of the King of Hearts and Marco couldn't picture Armin ever being okay with such a thing.

Rabbit paused in the process of buttoning his white waistcoat back over his (criminally short) blood red dress and smiled up at him wryly. “They lure you in with their song, feed you their nectar to turn your mind to mush and then they eat you alive while you smile happily and beg for more. So yes, we're avoiding the wild flowers. ”

“Ah.” He wondered what it said about him that he could no longer dredge up surprise at hearing things like that. Singing flowers that ate people? No stranger than titans in the grand scheme of things, right?

“It's much safer at night.” Rabbit continued, nose twitching in the way it did when he was being very serious. “There are only the weres and vines and rats to deal with. Maybe some slugs. And the acid bogs can be-”

“I hope you didn't intend to go out there tonight.”

Marco twisted around in the direction the sing-song voice seemed to be coming from before he could stop himself. It was an effort in futility because Cheshire could, as far as Marco could tell, be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, depending on his whims.

Above them, in the very tree Rabbit had just come down from, two pale gold eyes peered down at them, shining like twin candle flames in the quickly descending gloom.

Marco frowned. “You're still following us?”

The last time they'd seen Cheshire clearly the man had been trying to barter yanking them out of a sucking sand bog in exchange for a night with him. The encounter had ended with them managing to get free themselves and Rabbit telling Cheshire to go fuck himself and stop following them because he wasn't going to get whatever it was he was really after.

Teeth, stark white and wickedly sharp, flashed down at them in a floating phantom smile then it all winked away as if it hadn't been there at all.

“Hello Alice.” The words were purred hotly into his ear. Marco cringed and ducked away, moving closer to an unimpressed looking Rabbit. There was another wink of gold and then nothing at all, save the echo of Cheshire's laughter.

The sound was just enough like Marco's memories to send a shiver up his spine. If getting past the parts of Rabbit that were eerily familiar was hard then dealing with Cheshire was an exercise in mind bending frustration.

Marco glanced over at Rabbit who just shrugged as if to say 'what do you expect me to do about him?'

“C'mon.” Rabbit said, eyes flicking heavenward. “It's dark enough.”

There was about a hundred yards of hard packed dusty earth between them and the impossibly tall grass that marked the start of the Wilds and the next leg of their journey. Somewhere in there Rabbit said the Caterpillar, a creature who could help them figure out how he'd fallen into Wonderland and how to get back where he'd come from, would be found. They made it about half the distance before a loud annoyed sigh twisted on the air around them.

Cheshire stepped out of the air in front of them as if he'd been there all along, arms crossed over his chest, a deep frown in place of his usual smile. Marco's stomach flipped unhappily. Cheshire was so much like Jean it hurt; the same face, the same narrow eyed furious stare when he was upset, the same sharp almost mocking laugh, and the same harshness to his words.

Seeing him never failed to make Marco think of restless nights in the barracks, the feeling of flying through the trees with Jean at his heels, furtive moments in the woods with fumbling hands and curious mouths, and that last moment _painsomuchpaintheworldwasrunningredandtastedlikemetal_ when he'd realized he'd never see Jean again.

Cheshire was more human in appearance than Rabbit was most of the time, with only thin triangle shaped ears covered in short pitch black fur that rose from his hair, such a pale brown it was nearly white on the top and then black on the shorter cut sides, pale golden eyes, sharp teeth, and tail as visible markers.

It was easy to forget sometimes, when the tail was out of sight and focus away from the ears; it always hurt that much more when he remembered. It made for a strange dynamic. He didn't dislike Cheshire, far from it, but he wasn't certain what belong in the here and now and what was a blending from before.

Rabbit huffed and his ears twitched in clear annoyance. “What game are you playing now?”

“Tonight is the night the world dies.”

That meant nothing to Marco, which was typical of the stuff Cheshire said, but Rabbit went very still, eyes widening almost comically. Then he dropped into a crouch, silver pocket watch in hand, muttering under his breath and scratching a series of lines and symbols into the dirt with his claw, occasionally glancing up at the sky and tracing the seemingly random stardust patterns overhead before returning to his figures.

Cheshire sneered as he strode closer and Marco watched in spite of himself. Cheshire looked like Jean and he sounded like Jean but he moved with a confident rolling stride and inhumane lightness that he couldn't help but notice. His tail, which flowed from pale brown to deep black, swayed behind him.

It made Marco's head pound.

It would have been easier to keep Cheshire at a distance but, since the only luck Marco had these days was the bad kind, that was something that was unlikely to happen. The cat had made no secret of his interest in him and Marco, admittedly, wasn't doing as much as he could have to dissuade it.

Pushing Cheshire away felt a lot like pushing Jean away and denying Jean _rough hands touched his haltingly, rested against his chest, as chapped lips touched his own, messy and wet as teeth clinked and noses bumped and he breathed out a surprised 'Oh'_ hadn't been something he'd gotten any practice at.

“Are you still hurting after your fall?” Cheshire asked as he reached to prod at the fading bruise on Marco's cheek. It had been a painful fall, with him going end over end down a rocky cliff side, but he'd healed with frightening speed and there was nothing other than ruined clothes, the bruise, and a few scabbed over spots to show for it now.

He swatted the hand away, scowling. “How do you know...Right. You've been watching us.”

“Oh, My Alice.” Cheshire's smile was all needle sharp teeth and eerie lamp-like eyes as he brushed past him, tail sweeping over the the bare skin of Marco's leg with a velvety touch. “I'm never far even when I am and I'm watching even when I'm not.”

He didn't know what bothered him more, Cheshire's insistence on calling him 'Alice', the casual possessiveness, or the complete lack of sense. A hand touched his back, finding the strip of skin between his tattered shirt and the ridiculously small shorts he was wearing, a lingering feather light contact. He stiffened, lump forming in his throat.

“Fuck.” Rabbit declared and when Marco looked down it was to find the small blond swiping his claws through the figures in the dirt.

“Rewriting the stars rarely turns back time even for you.”

Rabbit stood up, frowning. “It never hurts to try. We'll have to wait for tomorrow night to start moving across the Wilds. It's too dangerous tonight.”

Marco hoped his expression reflected what exactly he thought about that. “Something worse than man eating flowers?”

“There is much worse than roses out there. Things that would grab hold, never let go, sink deep into you, and slowly suck your bones dry.” Cheshire's fingers stroked over his skin again, firmer contact this time, and Marco wasn't sure if it was the touch or the husky note of the other man's voice that made him shiver. “Things that would turn your hair white.”

Marco resisted the urge to reach up and touch his hair. It was losing it's color, the black being eaten by silvery white faster and faster with every day he remained in their strange world. He hadn't seen himself since they'd run from the Queen of Hearts but according to Rabbit his hair was a quarter of the way to colorless now.

He shifted away, moving around to the other side of Rabbit so the hybrid was between them and steadfastly ignoring the knowing look on the cat's face. Rabbit eyed them, something like exasperation in his eyes, then pointed back from where they'd come.

“We can head back to a tree. Set a fire tonight then climb a tree during the day to sleep.”

“Your king is hosting the party this year.” Cheshire said, usual toothy grin back in place. Rabbit's ears twitched then he looked up at Marco pointedly; the two other men stared at each other for a long moment, neither so much as blinking then, finally, the cat shrugged in response to whatever the hybrid was silently communicating.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know and, instead, focused on the obvious. “Party?”

He'd nearly lost his head, literally, and been forced to kill in order to survive the Queen of Heart's garden party and he was far from eager to repeat the experience. Not to mention what had happened with the Hatter at the so-called tea party.

His skin crawled just thinking about it.

“For the end of the world.” Cheshire's tone implied that it should have been obvious. “What happens while Wonderland remakes itself remains the same and the royals have us gather to watch it all burn away.”

He sighed, not for the first time wondering why he bothered asking anything about this strange world at all, then looked at Rabbit, eyebrow going up in question. Another twitch of the ears and then a speculative frown.

“You're sure you can move him through a mirror?”

Cheshire sniffed dismissively. “I can take what belongs to me anywhere.”

Marco rubbed at his eyes, trying to banish the headache he could feel forming.“Rabbit-”

“Fine.” Rabbit said, frown deepening. “If something happens to him I will tear your throat out and feed you to the bandersnatch.”

Before Marco could ask what exactly was going on Rabbit thumped his foot on the ground in a now familiar rhythm. The ground caved in, leaving a perfectly round tunnel behind. He knew that Rabbit normally traveled via tunnel, through something he called the Abyss, but it wasn't possible for Marco to travel with him so they had to get around by foot.

Rabbit shot Cheshire one last warning look then stepped into the hole and fell out of sight. There was a thump and a rumble and then the hole seemed to reverse, dirt flowing back into until it was once again an unblemished patch of earth.

Marco blinked down at where the hole had been, feeling his headache getting worse. A hand touched his elbow and, reluctantly, he looked up to find Cheshire holding a small round mirror in his hand. It caught the starlight when he moved it, casting a slice of light over the cat's face and making his eyes glow that much brighter.

“You're going to want to close your eyes.”

Marco's brow furrowed. “What?”

He did, occasionally, feel as if the people around him had forgotten that he had no idea what was going on. They did things, moved around him and talked over him and he was left floundering to understand what was happening, which he usually failed at because most of the time there was just no understanding this world.

This was one of those times.

“When you look into the Abyss the Abyss likes to look back.” Cheshire winked, looking downright cheerful, then reached up to put a hand over his eyes. Marco cringed then reached up to brush the warm hand away, a demand for an explanation on the tip of his tongue.

Without warning the ground seemed to just drop away beneath his feet and there was a sensation like falling. Someone, or something, let out a shrill scream and then he was moving through something that felt almost like spiderwebs against his skin and something warm and wet brushed over his face

Marco stumbled forward, bitter taste of bile in the back of his throat, and the only thing that kept him from losing his footing or crumbling on suddenly weak knees was colliding with something warm and solid. The hand over his eyes dropped away to wrap around his upper arm, helping to keep him up, and he found himself shuddering even though he wasn't remotely cold.

“What just happened?”

“We went through the space between mirrors.” Cheshire touched his face, forcing it first to one side and then the other. “It doesn't look like you left anything behind.”

Marco wasn't at all sure what to make of that but it sounded like a good thing. His ears were ringing but everything else seemed to be in order. As far as he could tell anyway, and he wasn't sure how trustworthy his perception was in this place.

He straightened up, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, and looked around. He realized with a start that they were inside of a room. It was dark, the only light he could see coming through large windows and filtered through gauzy white curtains. The air was heavy and smelled of mold and dust; there were a few pieces of furniture scattered around the dark room, all covered in white sheets and standing like ghostly guards in the night.

The only two things uncovered were a tall oval mirror and a large four poster bed. The bed was stripped down to the thick mattress, a small mountain of bare pillows, and pale blue curtains around the outside that were tied back with silver ropes.

“What is this?”

Cheshire let go of him, not taking the chance to grope him or extend the touch for a change of pace, then turned on his heel to head for the tallest sheet covered item in the room. He yanked the covering down to expose a huge wardrobe made of pale blond wood.

“This is the Suicide King's tower. The Alice before you called it home for a time.” He tossed a dark smirk over his shoulder. “Before the madness picked her clean.”

The other man seemed to take delight in taunting him with the Other Alices and the knowledge that they'd all given in to Wonderland's madness, eventually becoming part of the world, unable to ever go back to their homes. The inevitability of everything hung heavy over his head; with every passing day he moved closer to the point of no return and there was nothing he could do about it.

Even if he could he _gleaming teeth bigger than his head and stinking wet air clinging to his skin_ wasn't sure he could go back or that there was anything to go back to.

He didn't understand why Cheshire enjoyed messing with him so much except that the cat seemed to enjoy getting under the skin of people whenever he could. But, as annoying as he could be, Marco was fairly certain he could trust him. He'd helped them more than once, though always in a roundabout fashion, and had never really done them any harm. Even the more irritating things, like watching them fight the Queen of Heart's cardmen and doing nothing but offering cryptic quips, had only been in moments where he'd been certain the risk of death was fairly low.

Cheshire was a confusing creature. Marco's head started to hurt more just thinking about it.

“I thought you might want to wear something else.” Cheshire pulled the wardrobe open to expose a sea of pale blues, stark whites, and creams. Marco's mouth formed a thin annoyed line; he was fairly certain he knew exactly what he would find in there, the same as he'd found in the queen's castle when she'd demanded he make himself look more like an Alice if he was going to be playing the part.

She hadn't cared that he hadn't actually wanted to be Alice but then no one seemed to care.

His fears were confirmed when he quickly poked through to find short skirts, tiny filmy and lacy dresses, and short shorts. “I'm starting to think 'Alice' is shorthand for 'nearly exposed ass'.”

“Is that a problem?”

He didn't turn around but he was certain he could feel Cheshire's gaze raking over him. “You're staring at me aren't you?” The cat hummed appreciatively. “Does that mean asking you to bring me pants is pointless?”

When he didn't get a response he glanced back to find that Cheshire was gone, having left behind no indication of where he'd gone or that he'd been there at all.

Of course.

000

Eren was the King of Hearts. Or, rather, someone who looked like Eren with a fondness for red and black and patches of raised and twisted scar tissue on every inch of visible skin, including his face, was the King of Hearts. If Marco had ever stopped to think about it before he would have known it before he saw it; Rabbit's single minded devotion, the king's reputation as being noble with a tendency towards self sacrifice, Cheshire mockingly calling him 'Suicide King'.

It all added up.

He wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry at the yawning emptiness and helplessness that seeing another familiar face caused to open inside of him.

He did neither, deciding he would just roam the grounds and avoid the king if he could. The man was sitting on a raised platform, watching over everything with sharp green-blue eyes. Rabbit was curled up at his feet, the chain attached to his collar lengthened and held tightly in the king's hand, hair pinned up and topped with a gleaming silver circlet.

The 'party' was just that, a huge gathering of people outside of the tower (which was shaped like a knight chess piece, something that had made him chuckle when he'd gotten a look at it) in a two toned grassy area that resembled a chessboard from above. There were cardpeople, though none of them were hearts, chess piece people, hybrids of many kinds, people that seemed made of paper, flat and covered in crawling shifting inks, women with hair made of spiraling vines and flowers, men with furry lower halves and hooves, people with lower halves like horses and lions, and so much more.

It was dizzying.

He felt eyes on him and heard snatches of conversations about 'The Alice' and 'The Queens' over the music as he moved through the crowd. No one approached him save people who appeared to be made of carved stone carrying trays of elaborately decorated foods like Marco had never seen before and tall skinny glasses full of a smoking liquid and fruit.

Every time he finished something another person was there holding another tray of things for him to try. The drinks were cool and crisp and each different thing he ate sweeter than the thing he ate before it. Sugar and fruit had been luxury items for anyone who hadn't lived in the interior, which Marco certainly hadn't, but here in Wonderland that sort of thing was the norm.

He was feeling lightheaded and licking some kind of bright and tangy cream from inside of a tart from his fingers when Cheshire appeared at his side. Golden eyes roamed over him with exaggerated slowness before Cheshire flashed him one of his more peculiar smiles; not manic or lecherous but something else completely that managed to make Marco more uncomfortable than either of the other looks did. His glass was plucked from his hand.

“That's enough of that.” One of the tray carriers seemed to melt out of the night to take the glass away and once his hand was free Cheshire pressed it against the small of his back. “Over here Alice.”

“Why won't you call me by my name?” Marco asked, frowning muzzily. He allowed himself to be guided somewhere, noting that the rest of the party were moving in the same direction.

Cheshire's laughter washed over him warmly. “Why do you assume I'm not? Maybe you're the one getting it wrong.”

He considered that for a moment then shook his head, trying to clear the haze that had formed. “Are you saying I don't know who I am?”

“You do seem confused most of the time.”

They stopped, one of many crowded together right at the base of the raised platform the king and Rabbit were sitting on; Cheshire's arm curled around his waist and pulled him so they were flush against each other. A hush had fallen over everyone and a sense of anticipation seemed to be building. The question forgotten for the moment, he looked around to see what was happening and, as if responding to some cue he couldn't hear, hundreds of voice called out at once.

It was loud and echoing; so much so that it took him a few moments to realize they were counting down. By then they were at '1'.

The sky tore apart along the horizon with an ear splitting boom and fire spilled out in great rolling waves. The flames snaked through the air, burning the stardust trails and spiraling down towards the ground in great funnels. Marco could imagine the funnels growing and spreading, roaring loudly as they greedily consumed everything in their path _buildings had been destroyed, roofs pulled back and walls caved in. Sprays of blood and viscera stained the cobblestone and half eaten bodies_ and reduced it to ash.

Something impossibly dark and large followed the flames, long tendrils that crept along and rows and rows of gnashing teeth made for ripping and tearing _biting into him_

A hand cupped his chin, sharp nails scrapping lightly, and a static-like feeling crawled over his skin. He blinked, looking away from the sky and into pale eyes. His brain was burning, things flickering and overlapping _had there been fire in Trost?_ and he couldn't sure who he was looking at.

“Jean?”

“Well,” Warm lips pressed against his ear. “I could be your Jean if you wanted, just this once.”

A thumb swept over his bottom lip, pressing gently. He drew in a breath and the thumb grazed his teeth before touching his tongue. He tasted salt and skin as he licked over the ridges and whorls.

“C'mon, let's go inside.”

“okay.”

000

“I can't believe you _and Jean_ fucked _drank_ the cat _that much_.”

Rabbit _Armin_ was standing next to Alice's **his** _his and Jean's_ bed _bunk_ , arms crossed over his chest. Marco **Alice** could feel the judgment and it somehow just added to the pounding screaming clawing inside of his head. Then Rabbit's _Armin's_ expression softened around the edges just a little.

“Are you okay? I think, even from the distance we were at, last night was too much for you.”

He looked around the room, considering the way everything was overlapping, furniture **new and clean, specially crafted by the carpenter by the Sea of Tears** covered with sheets and layers of dust, the **tapestries from each of the Card Kingdoms and the Red and Black Chess Kingdoms finally on the** stone walls totally bare.

He saw himself in the **bright** grime covered mirror, covered in scratches, hair now more white than black.

“I'm fine.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Marco has no idea what is happening and I like leaving him confused so I didn't want to explain it in the story but at the end of the year Wonderland's 'gods' (Leviathan and the Abyss) come cruising through to burn and consume everything which makes way for Lythalia to follow behind and remake it all. Anything that happens to be dead or dying while this happens cannot be remade or healed, which is why it was safer for Marco and Rabbit to put their plans on hold for the evening.  
> People watch it like we watch fireworks. It's fun. Unless you're Marco in which case it literally drives you (more) insane because your human brain isn't meant to comprehend such things.  
> Oh! Right. Happy New Year!


End file.
